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EyeBrain Tracker for Early Diagnosis and Monitoring of Neurological Disease

Sunday, 01 April 2012

Page 2 of 2

As various Parkinsonian disorders
involve different brain areas, it is possible
to differentiate between them by determining
which parameters of eye movements
are normal. In this way, the EBT
device allows clinicians to rely on a simple
set of eye movement parameters to differentiate
between very similar syndromes,
such as PSP, cortico-basal degeneration
(CBD), or multiple system atrophy
(MSA).

To identify multiple sclerosis, practitioners
will be looking for patients who
display a different velocity in the movements
of each individual eye, while moving
toward a target in a gap test, which is
a symptom of damage of the brain’s white
matter of the internuclear neurons.

Recently, a new software version of the
EBT device has allowed it to help with
the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis by
confirming eye motricity impairment,
which is a sensitive marker for this
pathology. It can also be used to help
monitor patients' progress and verify the
effect of prescribed therapies.

People with multiple sclerosis often
suffer from transitory or permanent
neuro-ophthalmological problems, with
disruptions in eye movements affecting
60 to 80 percent of these patients. The
most commonly observed abnormalities
are alterations in saccades and pursuits
(tracking movements), as well as anomalies
in patients’ ability to
focus and hold a look.

These tests enable various
parameters to be evaluated,
including reaction
time, eye movement velocity, eye trajectory, and
the accuracy of the gaze,
as well as cognitive functions
such as preparation,
activation, or inhibition of
the movement. They also
allow for a number of
parameters to be compared
with subjects who
display normal eye movements.

The EBT technology is
already being used in hospitals to help
with the early characterization of
Parkinsonian syndromes, to assist in the
diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, and to
monitor the development of these
pathologies. It is also being tested to
assess its potential for diagnosing and
monitoring patients with dyslexia.

The technology was developed by EyeBrain,
Paris, France. For more information about the
company and the EyeBrain Tracker, please
visit http://info.hotims.com/40432-187.

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